Saturday, April 30, 2011

A new found heaven.Our family's small house on the Kobuchizawa's mountain, Japan. Found some really wild little mountain roads, some rough stuff but no traffic and great scenery.Log cabin-style lodge made of Western cedar tree, offers warmth of wood in winter and calmness in summer.Another striking characteristic of Kobuchizawa is the natural bounty of the fruit and other crops that have found a home here, including cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi, and apples. A big thank you to Ozawa's family !

I once again set off for another suggested walk in Kobuchizawa. Initially, I was going to try the Mt.Fuji hike, but after reading stories on the internet about people getting lost and parts of the referenced trail no longer being there, I decided to forced the Ozawa to drive to Mount Fuji Station 5.

What a lovely interior!

Yamanashi Grapes - On my next visit to Yamanashi, I wanna make sure to visit wine bars or go grape-picking to enjoy Yamanashi experiences.

Friendly neighbourhood....Yamanashi is an excellent place for wild landscapes with a wide variety of plants and insects.

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly,or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man? Love this pix.

To bee or not to bee

Rest & Relax at Biwako,Shiga Prefecture while on the way back from Yamanashi to Kyoto !

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Lake Biwa from the highway. Lake Biwa is actually Japan's largest freshwater lake that dominates the Shiga prefecture.

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Friday, April 29, 2011

We all know about the 8.9 earthquake and a massive 23 foot tsunami stormed Japan on March 11,2011. The effects of this disaster has killed over 20,000 innocent people and left hundred thousands people homeless and been without power.The effects of these disasters are devastating, still lingering within Japan and they need our help! We need to come together as and show that we care and we want to help this country in need. Together as one we will make the difference…

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I don't want to leave any negative comments on the top of my blog. I'm posting a couple of snapshots that I took from the recent trip to Japan.Nothing spectacular, but better than venting. By the way, the weather there was extremely hot in September !

Kinkakuji Shrine (Golden Pavilion) is the popular name for one of the main buildings of a Buddhist Japanese temple in Kyoto Japan. The name Golden Pavilion comes from the Japanese term Kinkakuji, which literally means the temple of the Golden Pavilion.

I was lucky enough to met "Bishamonten" , The Samurai's god of war and warriors, and a dispenser of wealth and good fortune. Bishamonten is also considered a god of healing, with the power to save emperors from life-threatening illness and to expel the demons of plague. One who hears everything; lord of north; bestower of treasure and wealth; heals illness; expels demons and evil; also known as the Great Black Warrior.

Angel & Demon nearby the Shrine.

Shinto architecture is the architecture of Japanese Shinto shrines.This image was shot at Kinkakuji shrine.

Yasaka Shrine,Kyoto - just about 10 minutes walk from Gion.

The great lantern of Maruyama Park,Kyoto.

A statue of another great samurai, Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro in Maruyama Park,Kyoto Japan. Ryōma has inspired at least seven television drama series, six novels, seven manga and five films.Ryōma was assassinated at the age of 33 and killed on his birthday in 1867 at the Ōmiya inn in Kyoto, not long before the Meiji Restoration took place.Initial reports accused members of the Shinsengumi for Ryōma and Nakaoka Shintarō deaths, but another pro-Shogun group, the Mimawarigumi's Imai Nobuo confessed to the murder in 1870.

Erika with Ninja at Uzumasa Egamura, Kyoto

The Sagano and Arashiyama districts are located in the western part of Kyoto City. In the 8th century, aristocrats often came to this area of rice fields and bamboo woods to enjoy the colored leaves, or to go boating. The landscape today is still reminiscent of that period.

Sagano in Arashiyama Mountains,Japan.

The Romantic train at Sagano

The legendary Tanuki- Japanese Raccoon Dog.In Japanese folklore the Tanuki has great physical strength and supernatural powers and it is a master of shape-changing!

The cold stream at Arashiyama Mountains.

Date Masamune ? I have few theories about this Samurai Kobuto (helmet) . First is that it wasn’t suitable for battle. It must have merely been decorative. My other theory -the designer who designed it secretly wanted the person who wore it to be killed rather quickly...hehehehehe...

All photos are copyright the photographer and may not be used without written permission. Thank you.

Monday, April 25, 2011

I snapped this photo during our relaxing walk at Lagenda Park in Langkawi yesterday.Things had changed quit a bit in the few days since we had last been here.The air was much more crispy,cold, and clean (of yeah! the area had been cleaned ). Here we are, and I let Naomi fooling around with the guardian of Lake Pregnant Maiden - the legendary white crocodile before I took her photo. Well, most people are awestruck when they see these statue, and just one look into those mouth and red eyes will give you chills.

またまたクアの公園に来ました。この中、結構、ワォーキングやジョギン

ろんなきれいな鳥もいて、ちょっとした歩にも最適です。説の白いワニ君と一緒に記念してみした。いい年して上にっかってしまいした。

Nikon D3000 + Nikkor 17-55mm f /5.6 — 1/2000 sec, ISO 200

No crocodile here ! Local fisherman was seen casting their net for shrimp, mullet, flounder or maybe crab. This pix was taken near the Eagle Square at Kuah Town. A tip from him : Do not throw near rocks or oyster beds or you will rip your net ! Awwww..

地元の漁師？カニでも採ってるのかな？

Nikon D3000 + Sigma 70 -300 mm @ 200mm, f/8 — 1/3000 sec, ISO 200

It was really hot but the day was so beautiful @ Eagle Square Kuah, Langkawi Island.

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The question is not what you look at but what you see – Exposure, Composition, Color Management, Processing,Workflow and More.Test shots all these images with all type of camera from Nikon Coolpix to D3000..

All these pix was shot in Langkawi. Enjoy !

There's so much photographic opportunity in a field of wildflowers at Langkawi mountains range or Gunung Raya..

I got a number of winners. This was one of my favorites.

You dont have to go far to find the colour of green. It is the most dominat colour around your house! This pix was shot with the dirt cheap Vivitar lense and yet the result is brilliant.

Important note : When shooting any close up or macro composition - go for manual focus rather than auto focus.

A common spider found around my garden. Look at the eerie and creepy eyes. Yikessss.

I love the contrast between the subject and the background. I moved just enough to let a small lights out from behind and the spider to be part of the overall composition . At these close, who need tripod?

This pix was shot at Lubuk Semilang Waterfalls in Langkawi.

So, is it really safe to say that frontlight doesnt pose any great exposure challenges? The quality and colour of frontlight are best in the first hour after sunrise and during the last few hours of daylighting.

All photos are copyright the photographer and may not be used without written permission. Thank you.

Do you still remember Jalur Gemilang sail boat and Datuk Azhar Mansor? A hero from Perlis who sail solo around the world without engine propulsion? He sat sail on 2 February, 1999. In 190 days he took on Jalur Gemilang over 21,600 nautical miles and on 11 August, 1999, Datuk Azhar safely arrived at Awana Porto Malai Resort in Langkawi. His courage is something every Malaysian should be proud of. Now, his famous Jalur Gemilang yacht is on display at the Perdana Quay Marina at Harbour Park in Langkawi ( By the way, the harbour is operated by Datuk Azhar Mansor himself ).

became the first Malaysian to sail solo round the globe and the first person ever to set a new solo west-east circumnavigation route with this yatch.

Jalur Gemilang crossed five seas, four continents and five capes before reached back to Langkawi

We hope that his achievement will inspire younger generations in the years to come as it is proof to them that Malaysians are world achievers and can succeed in anything they do !

A name to remember.

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

I love Kofu! As the Samurai say - "There is indeed something spiritual in this place. And though it may forever be obscure to me, I cannot but be aware of its power.I do know that it is here that I've known my first untroubled sleep in many years... But I like to think that I may have at last found some small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find....."

Notice the Takeda Shingen statue in the background. You can find it to the right as you exit the Kofu Station. It is one of the few things that hasn’t changed since it was erected in 1969. This is another memorable shot.

Shingen's Kamon. His war banner contained the famous phrase Fū-Rin-Ka-Zan "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain", taken from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War.The motto applied to Shingen's policies and his military strategy.

Shingen Yoroi. Be here during the Shingen festival and you can see wave of Shingen’s 24 regiments made their appearance at the shrine which I suppose would translate into something like “victory in war blessing ceremony.”

The Osuwa-Daiko origin can be traced to one of the most famous samurai battles in the history of Japan "Kawanakazima-Samurai Battle War" where are near the capital city of the NAGANO prefecture between one of well-known samurai, Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin. Kenshin was one of the many powerful lords of the Sengoku period. He is famed for his prowess on the battlefield, the legendary rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his military expertise, strategy and his belief in the god of war — Bishamonten!

Here I am in front of my idol - Takeda Shingen's statue in Kofu, Yamanashi Japan.The banner he carried into battle was inscribed with these words: "Swift as the Wind, Silent as a Forest, Fierce as Fire and Immovable as a Mountain".The words that inspired Shingen came from a Chinese literary work, Sun Tsu's The Art of War.

Tanuki - The Japanese Raccoon at Takeda Jinja.

Takeda Shrine was built in 1919 to enshrine the spirit of Shingen at the site where three generations of Takeda (those of Nobutora, Shingen, and Katsuyori) all lived. Various Takeda-related important cultural assets are on display.

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Let's be honest.I love the sunny beaches of Langkawi but at the same time I am seduced and consumed by the sensual of Tokyo's summer. By 2011, I have fallen into and out of love with every quater of the city many times over.The forces and rhythms that effect my developing relationship with Tokyo & Kyoto are recorded by the most daily entries of my personal journal.

Aqua City in Tokyo.The observation deck also offers nice view of the bay area and as far as Mount Fuji on clear days.

As viewed from the ground on Odaiba City.

The Statue of Liberty - Liberty Enlightening the World is a colossal neoclassical sculpture at Odaiba City in Tokyo.

Samurai bronze gift at Asakusa Temple,Tokyo.

Katana at Asakusa Temple

Erika & Nana -both of my daughter love the graceful flower framing Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture.Fuji San is the highest mountain in Japan - 12,388 ft and often considered the symbol of the country. This photo was shot from Hanamiyako Koen in Shizuoka, the home of Fuji San.

Above is a very poorly reconstructed scene of what it would look like were Mt. Fuji not covered in clouds. My camera was on wide angle and the sun was high overhead. A little zoom, a lower sun, and fewer clouds and this has to be one fantastic scene to behold. The entire left outline of Fuji San is visible and the right side reveals more from here than most Fuji views from the east. The scene in front of Mt. Fuji is also very nice, although the above photo doesn’t do it justice! Sigh!

Japan - It has been a wonderful year, but now it is over. I took over 6,000 pictures, of which less than 5% have appeared on the Facebook & my blog so far. In other words, if you’re still interested, I’ll keep sharing them

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.